title: Epidemiology of penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections: analysis by auxotyping and serogrouping.
abstract: Auxotyping and serogrouping by coagglutination were used to characterize penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae and penicillinase-negative isolates from the state of Washington, Shreveport (Louisiana), and the Far East. Fifty-four of 75 penicillinase-producing isolates (72 per cent) from Washington required proline for growth and were serogroup W-l (Pro-1), the predominant type of penicillinase-producing strains in the Philippines; none of 86 penicillinase-negative isolates from Washington was Pro-1 (P less than 0.0001). All 38 penicillinase-producing isolates from Shreveport required proline and were serogroup W-11 (Pro-11); five of 26 penicillinase-negative isolates (19 per cent) from Shreveport were also Pro-11 (P less than 0.0001) but had antigenic specificities within serogroup W-ll that distinguished them from the penicillinase-producing isolates. We conclude that the Washington and Shreveport outbreaks resulted from the spread of imported strains rather than transmission of penicillinase-encoding plasmids to indigenous gonococci. The Shreveport outbreak involved a single strain of penicillinase-producing N, gonorrhoeae and probably originated from a common source, whereas several types were involved in the multiple-source Washington outbreak, indicating repeated introduction of new strains.
mesh_terms: D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008145:Louisiana; D008297:Male; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010405:Penicillinase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D010679:Philippines; D012846:Singapore; D014861:Washington
chemical_list: D010405:Penicillinase